Tekken has had a few licensed characters over the years, but apparently series director Katsuhiro Harada asked Colonel Sanders if he could be included.
Noctis, Geese Howard, Akuma – these are all guest characters that appear in Tekken, and all of them usually have some meaning (they all share the fact that they’re all video game characters at the very least). Sure, Walking Dead‘s Negan Smith is a little weird, but hey, the vibe is more or less right. You know who would be totally out of character? KFC’s Colonel Sanders, but director Katsuhiro Harada wanted just that and even talked to Japanese fried chicken producers.
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Harada recently shared this weird little fact in an interview with TheGamer, saying, “A long time ago, I wanted to make Colonel Sanders fight in KFC. So, I requested to use Colonel Sanders and went to the Japanese headquarters”. The game developer explained that he was treated “unsightly” and the idea was rejected, which honestly isn’t surprising.
“Tekken” designer Michael Murray, who often translates for Harada, further explained: “[Harada] Went to KFC and tried to find Colonel Sanders. […] They were not very open to the idea. [Colonel Sanders] Later appears in the game. So maybe it’s just him fighting someone [that] Caused problems for them. But that just goes to show how difficult such discussions can be.
The Colonel does eventually appear in his own game, a dating simulator, I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A finger-licking good dating simulator, KFC even made its own console, so maybe Harada will have an easier time now (he really shouldn’t have put the Colonel in Tekken, though).
